AFRICA: Militants attacked a Malian army post near the border of Burkina Faso, killing 11 soldiers.

AMERICAS: Cuban President Raul Castro harshly criticized US President Donald Trump’s immigration, trade, and other policies as Trump reviews a fragile detente with Communist-run Cuba.

ASIA: Malaysian PM Najib Razak rebuked North Korea as his government expelled its envoy for casting doubt over the impartiality of the investigation into the murder of the North Korean leader’s estranged half-brother.

North Korea launched four missiles, a provocative barrage that coincided both with joint US-South Korean military exercises on the southern half of the peninsula and with the opening of the annual National People’s Congress in China.

South Korea said the missiles were unlikely to have been intercontinental ballistic missiles, which can reach the US, but some landed in Japanese waters.

American officials held phone calls afterward with counterparts in Japan and South Korea, as Japan moved to the highest possible alert level.

The test-launches appeared to be a reaction to huge US-South Korean military drills that those countries consider routine but that Pyongyang insists are an invasion rehearsal.

China called for restraint, criticizing the launches but also suggesting that South Korea and the US were partly to blame.

North Korea’s missile program is evolving, experts say, as the country develops and produces missiles at a faster rate, and deploys them in ways which potentially help evade new and existing defenses.

Somalia: The UN confirmed 196 people have died from acute watery diarrhea and cholera outbreak in the country since JAN17. (Xinhua)

Zambia: At least eight people were killed and 28 others injured in a stampede in the capital Lusaka as thousands of poor people struggled to claim food handouts. (Reuters)

AMERICAS

Region: Cuban President Raul Castro harshly criticized US President Donald Trump’s immigration, trade, and other policies as Trump reviews a fragile detente with Communist-run Cuba. (Reuters)

Haiti: Late ex-president Rene Preval, a champion of the poor who served two terms as the country’s leader, will be honored with a state funeral. (AFP)

United States: FBI director James Comey asked the Justice Department to publicly reject President Trump’s assertion that President Barack Obama ordered the tapping of Mr. Trump’s phones. (NYT)

ASIA

Region: Malaysian PM Najib Razak rebuked North Korea as his government expelled its envoy for casting doubt over the impartiality of the investigation into the murder of the North Korean leader’s estranged half brother. (Reuters)

Region: At least five Pakistani soldiers and ten militants died in terrorist attacks in Mohmand Agency along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. (DPA)

Region: India called on all Asian countries for joint action against terrorism which it described as the “most pervasive and serious threat.” (Xinhua)

China: The country’s defense budget will rise seven percent to USD 151B this year, the slowest increase since 1991 and consistent with decelerating economic growth. (AFP)

Philippines: Police relaunched their ruthless drug war with the hope that it will be less bloody “or even bloodless” after a campaign that has claimed more than 8,000 lives. (FT)